Pastel Society Alaska
Pastel Society Alaska

The World We Dream

International Online Pastel Competition October 14 – December 14, 2025 | Online
Deadline is September 30th. 2 weeks left to enter. Open to Members and Non-Members.
Open Calls

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: September 30, 2025
Entries for this competition are to capture moments in a perfect world as we imagine it. We want you to illustrate moments when possibilities are about to become realities, hope burns hot, and joy runs deep.

Give us your interpretation of “The World We Dream” using soft pastels. Some ideas we came up with include:
  • A dancer about to go onstage as the prima ballerina
  • A young father looks in wonder at the babe in his arms
  • A field mouse finds more berries in one place than she can eat
  • A teenager hugs her first horse
  • A meadow pops with blossoms after a spring rain
  • The sun rises once again.

Prizes

  • Best of Show — $500
  • First Place — $300
  • Second Place — $200
  • Third Place — $100
  • Arizona Pastel Artists Association Award of Excellence — $100
  • ​2 Honorable Mentions — pastel-related supplies
NOTE: If an international painter places in the show, the prize will be sent via a wire transfer platform like wise.com or similar. PSAK no longer uses Paypal.

Entry Fees

PSAK members
$35 for 1-3 paintings; $10/painting after that up to 6 maximum.

Non-members
$45 for 1-3 paintings; $10/painting after that up to 6 maximum.

Entry fees are non-refundable.

Eligibility

  • This online Exhibition is open to any artist anywhere in the world.
  • Artwork must be in soft pastels. No oil pastels nor mixed media.
  • Artwork needs to be original, not copied from other artists or from any other published material.
  • Reference photos used must be taken by the artist.
  • Composites of the artist’s own photographs assembled by software like Photoshop are acceptable as reference photos as long as all of the pieces of the composite were taken by the artist. Using clip art, purchased photos, or pieces of art by another artist are not acceptable. Artist needs to be ready to produce the reference photos to prove they are their own if asked by a member of PSAK, the juror or the judge.
  • References created or altered by AI are not acceptable.
  • Accepted images to Showsubmit.com must be identical to the artists’ paintings, not digitally altered.
  • Paintings of nudes are not being accepted into this show.
  • The painting needs to be original. Works done in a workshop, class or with an instructor are not acceptable. Paintings made from references while working in an online class are not acceptable.
  • Sales inquiries will be referred to the artist and handled by the artist and buyer.
  • PSAK reserves the right to exclude any paintings deemed inappropriate.
  • This is an online art show. Images will be submitted through ShowSubmit.com and no paintings need to be mailed.

Juror of Selection

Renee Morhain is an artist who is very inspired by nature. Her dream is to create art that showcases the beauty of Alaska’s wilderness and share it with the entire world.

With a deep passion to encourage others to achieve their artistic goals, Renee teaches art through in person sessions for all ages and abilities. She firmly believes art is transformative for individuals and restorative for communities. She works in a variety of different mediums including oil, soft pastels, watercolor, and acrylic paint.

Renee was born and raised in Alaska and currently lives in Anchorage with her family and her pug, Abby. You can see more of her art at moosecreekcreations.com

Judge of Awards

Nancy Angelini Crawford, angelinistudio.com

Nancy Angelini Crawford is an Alaska resident artist. She paints plein air and from life as often as possible. Her subject matter can vary widely as she loves to paint what moves her with the hope that the viewer is moved as well. Her style of work has been coined as "emotional realism. She has studied and shown her work worldwide, winning various awards.
After residing in Wasilla, Alaska for over 30 years, working various corporate jobs, once her children were raised she returned full time to her passion for painting. Her education started with local watercolor classes and quickly moved on to studying under many contemporary masters around the world. Learning directly from living masters was not only her short cut to improving but also provided exceptional instruction and feedback. It makes her very happy to pass on the insights she has gained in her workshops and teaching opportunities.

Nancy continues to travel and take workshops whenever she can to continue pushing her art to the next level. Gleaning bits from each artist instructor Nancy's work now carries her own voice. No matter what the medium, (watercolor, pastel or oil) her goal is to know the techniques well, apply them, and then embellish with her own voice and emotion.
Nancy is a member of Pastel Society Alaska.

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on October 14, 2025.

You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History.

If you do not receive your email, login and view the notification in your account. We cannot respond to inquiries regarding the status of notifications.

Note: Entries made prior to 2023 may not display the View Notification link.

Image and Filename Specifications

  • File Format: Submit original, high-quality JPEG image files. Other formats (e.g., PNG, TIFF) are not accepted.
  • Crop Your Image: Ensure only the artwork itself is visible in the image. Do not show any visible matting, frames, or background distractions.
  • Orientation: Make sure your image is oriented correctly (right side up) so that the artwork appears in its intended viewing direction.
  • Image Size: You do not need to resize your image files before uploading. The system will automatically resize them. Smaller images cannot be enlarged to meet the requirements, so ensure your images are high resolution before uploading.
  • File Names: You do not need to rename your files before uploading them. The system will handle any file naming requirements.
  • File Size: There is a 30mb maximum file size limit. Larger image files will take longer to upload and process.

Additional Entry Information

  • You will pay for your entry by credit or debit card using our secure checkout system.
  • After your entry is submitted and paid for, you may log back in to review your entry, edit artist and image information, and add or substitute images up until the entry deadline (September 30, 2025.)
  • Entry fees are not refundable and must be submitted and paid by the entry deadline.
  • Entries cannot be accepted or changed after the deadline. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Support

For questions about PSAK or this Prospectus, please contact ([email protected]).

For technical support or entry questions, first check our Help Center or Entry Guide. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We’ll respond between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.